ode to a good ol friend

I still fondly recollect the story of a friend, who had often enough, when we all still believed, called before Christmas. It would be the few exciting days just shortly before christmas. He would be down, totally disappointed, exclaiming, proclaiming, "it has not snowed!". And even while i was spending Xmas in Santa Barbara, with my nice mild 15 degree celcius, would always reply "Don't fret. It will snow, because it has always snowed every year I was in Aachen, and it will be in time like every other year, for Christmas." Indeed, while we all still believed, the snow came every year, just in time for the Christmases.

Maybe we all forgot to believe. This year, just an email, stating "there is no snow". The exclamation was missing, there was little indignance.

But I still do believe. Because I am lucky, and I believe. On the eve of Christmas this year, it did snow. For 10 minutes, tiny snow flakes floated down from the skies. They were tiny, and melted on the ground, but it snowed. But the 10 minutes were a blessing, it will come every year. And for every year to come.

The 10 minutes of joy and beauty, the 10 minutes that passed in Zuerich, I am sure these 10 minutes found their place in Aachen too. And in reply to the email, these 10 minutes of snow that fell, in my little world, they came because of you.